RUMFORD — Eighty students at Mountain Valley High School were awarded their diplomas during Thursday night’s graduation in Puiia Gymnasium.

Autumn Pollis, delivering the senior address, said, “I am beyond grateful to be here with my classmates, eager and ready to embark on the unique of adulthood.”

She said adjusting during their freshmen and sophomores years, which were around the time of the pandemic, was very difficult for her class.

“Everyday things weren’t normal anymore,” Pollis said. “However, as time passed, I realized that high school is not just a place for education, but a platform for personal growth and transformation. A place where each of us learn to be the young adults standing here today.”

Pollis said that in spite of life’s various obstacles and challenges, “we each have found positives in this school, whether it be the people or the environment. This school has had a positive impact on all of us.”

She noted, “One thing I’ve learned in my high school journey is that you can’t expect things to come to you. You have to go looking for them.”

During her time at MVHS, Pollis said she struggled with various issues and wasn’t where she wanted to be during her first two years.

“I felt the world was against me, as many of us have. And I felt the urgency to make a change. And I was told about Jobs for Maine Graduates program and I felt it was worth a shot.”

She said what she got from the JMG experience was so much more than she imagined. “I pushed out of my comfort zone and start to make a better name for myself.”

Pollis said she began to participate in activities and focusing on school, got her first job and pushed herself to be better, thanks to the “endless support for teachers, friends and family.”

She concluded, “What truly matters is that we’re graduating with an unwavering support of our loved ones and our community, with all the excitement for the future.”

After the presentation of diplomas, the class sang “Best Day Of My Life” by American Authors.

Following graduation, most of the graduates boarded a bus for their project graduation to Spare Time Entertainment in Portland.